Old Cairo

Cairo and Giza

Old Cairo

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A- Hanging Church :

This church was known as the” Hanging Church“ because it was built over the ruins of Old Cairo‘s Roman fort, and situated near the Coptic Museum . The church is made up of a court divided into four wings separated by three rows of marble columns. A wooden semi-circular vaults covers the main court.

B- Abu Serga Church :

Like various other early Christian churches, the Church of Abu Serga and its underground cave are designed in the basilica layout, and thus together consist of three parts: the narthex, nave, and sanctuary (the cave being below the sanctuary). The church is characterized by its unique architectural and artistic elements that reflect the spirit of Coptic church architecture in Egypt.

 

C- Ben Ezra Synagogue :

Ben Ezra Synagogue , sometimes referred to as the El-Geniza Synagogue  or the Synagogue of the Levantines (al-Shamiyin) is situated in the Fustat part of Old Cairo, Egypt. According to local folklore, it is located on the site where baby Moses was found. This was the synagogue whose geniza or store room was found in the 19th century to contain a treasure of forgotten, stored-away Hebrew, Aramaic and Judeo-Arabic secular and sacred manuscripts.

 

D- Sultan Hassan Mosque :

The Mosque and Madrasa of Sultan Hassan is one of the largest and architecturally exquisite mosques in all of Egypt. It was commissioned by the Mamluk sultan Hasan ibn al-Nasir Muhammad ibn Qalawun , and is located at the end of Muhammad Ali Street, opposite its nineteenth century neighbor al-Rifa’i mosque in Salah al-Din Square. The mosque consists of an open courtyard with fountain in its center. The courtyard is surrounded by four iwans (a rectangular space that is open on one side). Doorways at the four corners of the courtyard allow access into four madrasas, educational institutions, where the four Sunni schools of Islamic jurisprudence were taught. Each consists of a court and iwan, in addition to the rooms of the students and annexed service units. The mosque has two minarets built in the Mamluk style. Its proximity to the citadel ultimately resulted in its use as a fort by enemies several times throughout its history, as it was used as a platform to launch attacks on the citadel.

 

E- Ahmad Ibn Tulun Mosque :

The mosque of Ibn Tulun was commissioned by Ahmad Ibn Tulun Abbasid governor of Egypt, The mosque is distinguished by its spiral minaret, which echoes the designs of the al-Abbas mosque in Samarra, Iraq. The arches and the windows of the mosque’s courtyard contain stucco designs of geometric and floral designs. A water fountain is positioned in the center of the courtyard, surmounted by a dome supported on marble columns. The interior of the mosque contains six mihrabs. The mihrab is a niche in the wall of a mosque that marks the qibla, the direction of the Kaaba in Mecca, which Muslims face during prayer. The main mihrab is hollow and elaborately decorated.

 

F- Al Rifai Mosque :

Located on Salah al-Din Square (or Maydan al-Qal’a “Citadel Square”), al-Rifa’i Mosque was built in the nineteenth century to Equivalent its fourteenth-century neighbor, the mosque of al-Sultan Ḥassan. The mosque gets its name from the tomb of Ali who was known as “Abu Sheibak”, he was the grandson of imam Ahmad al-Rifa’i. when the mosque was completed, it was imputed directly to Ahmad al-Rifa’i who founded the Rifa’i Sufi order. Although he was never buried here, the mosque wittness a joyous annual Sufi celebrations commemorating his birth.

 

 

G- Al Azhar Mosque :

Al-Azhar Mosque (970- 972 CE), is the most important in Egypt and the most famous in the Muslim world. It has been a mosque and a university for more than a thousand years now. It was established for the purpose of spreading the Shiite Doctrine when Egypt was conquered by Jawhar Aṣ-Ṣiqilli, the army leader of Al-Mu‛izzulidīn Allah, the first Fatimid Caliph in Egypt. Currently, Al-Azhar teaches Islam according to the Sunni Doctrine. After founding the city of Cairo, Aṣ-Ṣiqilli started building Al-Azhar Mosque and completed it. The first Friday Prayer was held in it on the 7thRamadan 361 AH /972 CE. It is thus the first mosque to be established in the city of Cairo and the oldest Fatimid monument existing in Egypt. Historians have disagreed on the origin of naming this mosque. It is most likely that the Fatimids named it Al-Azhar after Fatima Az-Zahrā᾿, daughter of Prophet Muḩammad (peace be upon him), out of love for her and in commemoration of her high esteem. The Mamluke Era is one of the brightest and best times Al-Azhar ever witnessed. The Mamluke rulers competed in their service of Al-Azhar, with regard to its students, Sheikhs and architecture. They expanded their spending on it, cared about it, and added to its architectural structure. In the Ottoman Era, the Sultans of the Othman family showed great respect for Al-Azhar mosque and its staff, despite their resistance of them and their support of the Mamlukes during their war against the Ottomans. However, this respect was not translated practically into real service, attention to its architecture, or spending on its Sheikhs and students.

 

H- El-Moeez Street :

The historical street stretches between two of the gates of Cairo’s old city walls, from Bab al-Futuh in the north to Bab Zuwayla in the south, passing along many of the significant and uniquely preserved ancient alleys and streets, such as Amir al-Guyush Street, Darb al-Asfar, Borgowan Alley, Khan al-Khalili, and al-Ghuriyya.

 

Location

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